Approximately 550 personnel from 35 agencies participated in the exercise, which consisted of a simulation of approximately 100 people being evacuated from a cruise ship and multiple people in the water.

“This mass rescue exercise was designed to assess and elevate the Coast Guard’s and our partner agencies’ readiness to respond to a critical incident in the Port of Charleston,” said Cmdr. Preston Hieb, chief of response, Coast Guard Sector Charleston. “The Coast Guard will continue its close coordination and collaboration with our partner agencies to ensure that we are prepared for any emergency situation that may arise.”

The purpose of the exercise was to test mass casualty and mass rescue response efforts and promote effective coordination and communication between response agencies during a large-scale maritime emergency. This exercise provided an opportunity for the Coast Guard and partners to validate existing protocols, review capabilities and identify gaps within existing contingency plans.

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